Carbonator



"june l0 1924. F. KASPAR cARBoNAToR Filed May 15 921 WITNESSES Patented.lune 10, 1924.

FRANK KASPAR, F SANTA MAR-IA, CALIFORNIA.

CARBONATOR.

Application filed May 13, 1921. Serial No. 469,224.

Santa Barbara and State of California, l

have 'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbonators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a carbonator.-

As is well known in the manufacture of beet sugar, the first step ofpurifying the sugar extracted from, the beets is to carbonate the same.v

In carrying out this carbonization the beet juice is collected in asuitable tank, after which a certain amount of milk of lime is addedthereto and the mixture 4is then carbonated by introducingcarbon-dioxide gas under pressure.

It is the common practice to introduce this gas by means of perforatedpipes, or inverted serrated hoods located near the bottom of the tank.In first introducing` the gas by such a means, .the mixture of juice.and lime always has a tendency to rise several feet in the tank before.the gas f breaks through and the carbonization ac tually begins.. f

Also it maybe .mentioned that during` the latter part of the season whenbeets are being harvested they are mostly frozen or partly spoiled andthe viscosity `of the.

juice extracted therefrom becomes such that when carbonating the juiceis quite fre-L quently carried to the top of the tank andV out throughthe vent stack associated with the'tank, and in this way becomes a totalloss. Sometimes this overflow is caught in catchalls or foam headerswhence it is taken at intervalsfor when a certain amount hasaccumulated, and again emptied into the carbonating tank. The juicecollectedin this manner is often in a state of decomposition and thusoffers a source of contamination for the pure juice with which it comesin contact when poured into the carbonating tank. 1

Italso may be here mentioned that it is the practice to fill thecarbonating tanks to a height of from four to six feet with the beetjuice. The carbonated gas is then in-V troduced atthe bottom of the tankand the rcarbonization will take place more rapidly at that point thankat a higher point, in the tank due tothe fact that the gas becomesexhausted on nearing the top of the tank.

In many instances to get a uniform carbonization of the juice throughoutthe tank, a mechanical agitator is resorted to which combined witht'heagitation caused by the,

gas when being introduced under pressure in a way gives a more or lessthorough carbonization off the j uice. However,l these methods have notbeen found entirelyrsatisfactory.' i y I Furthermore, it is extremelyimportant that thecarbonization of the juice should cease as soon asitjhas reached a stage where y it will filter, .and it thereforebecome'siinportant that theprocess for carbonating` the juice should becarried on in such a manner as to insure that its Aaction is uniformandthus enabling a certain `volume of juice to -be carbonated at one time.

With that heretofore set out in mind, it is the object of the presentinvention to provide acarbonator tank in which a quantity of beet juicetherein may be uniformly carbon ated.

It is` also Aanobject of the invention that any` loss due to the overiowof the juice previously mentioned during carbonization Awill be.obviated Other objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which: v

Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of acarbonatortank.embodying my invention,"

Figure. 2 is a transverse section taken substantially'on the V.lines 2 2of Figure l.

Referring to the drawings more particularly, 10 indicates a tank whichis pref! crably cylindrical in shapey as shown, and formed withan upperend closure 11 anda conical shaped Vbottom 12.l In Athe top 11,`

ety

there is provided any opening which coin- ,municates with v'a ventstack13, saidvent Y stack being vsuitably secured Vto the top of Theapex of the bot.

the tank, as shown.

ktom12 terminates in a nipple 14 to `which Y there is threadedian. elbow15 which in turn communicates withV the'fone ,end of. afpipe L v.teriorof the'tank 10, as shown.

29 extends through the cylindrical member "bottom of the tank, as shown.

16. The pipe 16 carries on its one end a T-fitting 17 which communicateswith the pipes 18 and 19. The pipe 19 is provided with a valve 2O andthe pipe 18 communicatcs with a Titting 21, said T-ittingi' in turncommunicating with the pipes 22 and 9,3. and the i es 22 and 23 eachbeinerovided with a valve 24 and respectively. The pipe 22 may beconnected with an elevated tank in which beet juice is collected, whilethe pipe 23 may be connected with a suitable source of carbon-dioxidegas under pressure, and the pipe 19 suit-ably connected with 'a ltank orcontainer in which the beet #f juice vmay be collected after the samehas been carbonated.

`llithin' the tank 10 there is positioned a short cylindrical member 26which is' held centiallyof the tank by the radial supporting arms 27land 28, the arms 27' extending from the upperrend of the member andthearms 2S extending from the lower' end thereof,'said arms'a't their outerends being seated upon suitable lugs 28V 'formed on'lth'e in- A shaft 26and has its 'upper end journaled iii a bearing` member 30, which issecured to the top11of the tank, as shown. On the upper ,end of theshaft there vis carried a pulley 31 yby which said shaft may be driven.The

VVin axial alinement with the cylindrical niember 26, and alsoregistering with a similar opening formed in the like portion of theconical shaped member 35. bers and 36 are preferably integrallyconz:nected about their peripheries which form the central openingsreferred to as at 3T,

and also each member has formed at its base portion a flange 38 by whichsaid members may be secured to the walls of the tank 10 by the means ofbolts or rivets,- asshown.

" In the opera-tion of the present device, the `valves fand 2O areclosed and the valve 24 is open to perinitbeet juice-to flow from thetank -withwhich the pipe `22' is con.-

, nected into "thetank 1 0. The beet juice is to fill, the tank V10 to apnt Slightly bel@ I1e de'feetel plate 36- At Ytbswtiifl.e the 'i5Oprel'ete is Started' .andthe valve' 25 otenet/,enferma @arbondee de'aas te enter die' tank iovV The @encantaria eropener'ae The twoinemwill be to cause juice to travel in the two circuitous pathsindicated by the arrows 39 and 40.

Gas entering through the nipple 14 will proceed upwardly through thebody of juice and eomingle therewith to form a complete and uniformcarbonization thereof. Of course, as is obvious, the downward current ofthe juice in the interior of the cylindrical member 26 will deflect theuward travelling gas so that it will likewise travel on the outside oflthe cylindrical member 26. rlhe churning action of the propeller 34 andthe upward travel of ythe gas taken together will cause asubstantial.carboni'zation of the juice at the bottom of the tank, andsaid carbon'ization uniformly proceeding as the continues to move upwardwith the flow of the juice on each side of the cylindrical member 26. lncase there is considerable foam or a tendency of the juice withinthetank to rise, the same is deflected or"held downwardly by the means ofthe deecting plate 36.

Also in case the juice does rise within the top of the tank the same maybe returned by the conical shaped drain plate 35'. The path ofthedioxide gas is clearly shown by the dotted arrows 41 and as also seen,any eicess thereof may escape through the ,vent stack 13.

1. A. carbonator of the class described, comprising` a tank, avent-stack communicatinpj with the interior of the tank at the upper endthereof, a conical shaped deflector plate positioned intermediate thebotton and top .of said tank and having a central opening, an invertedconical shaped drain platepositioned Aabove said detlector y plate andhaving a central opening in register with the opening of the lirstnamedy deflector plate. means'for introducing a liquid into the tankv`means for agitatingf said liquid to travel in la circuitous path withinsaid tank and beneath said detlector plate, and means for introducing agas in the bottom'of said tank. i

2. A carbonator of the character described, comprising a tank, adeflector plate between the top and bottom offsaid tank having a centralopening. a casing arranged below said dedector plate and said casinghaving both its ends .open and being disl posed in longitudinallaligi'iment with the opening in said deflector plate, means forintroducing a liquid into bottom of tank, agitating meanc for causingthe liquid within said tank to travel downwardly through the interior ofsaid .casing and upwardly about the sides thereoiand means forintroducing a gas into the bottom .of tank. A l

aarbenater Cembrella @alabar ing vent eernrenncatfng with tl'ienpperlill end thereof, a delector plate positioned between intermediate thetop and bottom of said tank, said delector plate having a centralopening, a cylindrical member arranged below said deiector plate and inaxial alignment therewith, a pipe connection for the bottom of saidtank, means whereby either a gas or a liquid may be introduced throughsaid tank, means for supporting a propeller within the cylindricalmember and means whereby said propeller may be rotated to cause acirculation of the liquid downwardly through the cylindrical member andupwardly about the sides thereof.

FRANK KASPAR.

